| IN MEMORIAM
CHARLES T. ZLATKOVICH
Dr. Charles (Charley) T. Zlatkovich, well-known to students and
colleagues as “Dr. Z”, passed away on February 7, 2003, in El Paso,
Texas. “Dr. Z” taught at The University of Texas
at Austin for more than 40 years before his retirement in 1983.
Charley was born August 25, 1917, in Fort Worth, Texas, and was
the only child of Eva Mattern Zlatkovich (a native of Fort Worth)
and
Theo Zlatkovich (a native of Pirot, Serbia – later Yugoslavia).
According to legend, Charley’s father won a lottery in
his native country and used the proceeds to come to the United
States
where he met his future wife. Theo did not speak English at first,
and the immigrant absorption was difficult, but he eventually
prospered in a restaurant business.
Charley’s early schooling was in Fort Worth, where he skipped
second grade, attended St. Ignatius Academy, and later graduated
from all-male Laneri High School in 1934 as salutatorian of his class.
A smile always came to his face when someone made a complimentary
remark on his graduating as salutatorian because, he said privately, “there
were only six other guys in my senior class.”
After high school graduation, he enrolled in North Texas Agricultural
College. (NTAC later became Arlington State University, and now is
known as The University of Texas at Arlington.) He graduated in June
1936 and then entered Texas Christian University (TCU), graduating
with the B.S. in commerce with honors in June 1938. He continued
his education and received the first M.B.A. conferred by TCU in August
1939. He began his teaching career at NTAC where he taught elementary
accounting, and he continued teaching while pursuing an M.B.A. at
TCU. From start to retirement, his academic teaching career spanned
48 years, interrupted only by military service 1942-46.
In September 1939, TCU hired Charley as a full-time instructor.
His nine-month salary was $1,200. He taught five course sections – two
in accounting, two in economics, and one in finance. No doubt enthusiastic
about teaching and learning, Charley entered the Ph.D. program at
The University of Texas at Austin in 1940. On a part-time basis he
taught Accounting 811 (elementary accounting). After about 22 months
of Ph.D. study, WWII intervened. On April 1, 1942 (no “April
Fool,” he quipped) he was commissioned an ensign in the
U.S. Navy and ordered to report to Pearl Harbor within the next
few
weeks.
During this short time, Charley took a physical, purchased a
uniform, and married Clara Shelton (April 4, 1942). As Z later
told the
story: “Clara
was a student in my accounting courses, and our merger of debits
and credits was made in heaven.” Charley and Clara took
the train to San Francisco. Soon thereafter Charley embarked
for Hawaii
while Clara remained in waiting. He was stationed for 26 months
at the Naval Air Station at Kaneohe, after which he returned
to the
mainland and served the remainder of his World War II tour of
duty at the Naval Shipyard at Mare Island, California. Here their
son
Charles P. Zlatkovich was born on November 15, 1945. In January
1946, Charley retired from the Navy with the rank of Lieutenant
Commander
(Supply Corps). He remained in the U.S. Navy Reserve until 1955.
Immediately upon his release from the Navy, Charley re-enrolled
in UT’s
Ph.D. program. Before he completed the Ph.D., he was employed as part-time instructor
(1940-42), full-time instructor (1946-47), assistant professor (1947-1950), and
associate professor (1950-52). He received his Ph.D. in 1952 and was promoted
to the rank of a full professor in accounting (1953-1983). Hence, Charley became “Dr.
Z.” Thereafter, Dr. Z’s teaching career at UT was continuous
except for a 15-month position (1952-53) in New York at the American Institute
of
Accountants (now the American Institute of CPAs, AICPA), and one semester
(spring 1967) teaching
at the University of Hawaii Manoa campus.
During his tenure at UT, Dr. Z served three times as chairman of the Department
of Accounting, one full four year term and two partial terms. He was appointed
the C. Aubrey Smith Professor of Accounting in 1973 and held this position as
an emeritus professor thereafter. The C. Aubrey Smith Professorship was the first
endowed professorship established in the UT Department of Accounting.
Dr. Z was very active professionally. He became a CPA in 1947 (holding CPA
certificate #1399, whereas by 2003 Texas had more than 50,000 CPAs). He promptly
joined the
Texas Society of CPAs (TSCPA) and its Austin chapter. Dr. Z later wrote that
he was privileged to serve the TSCPA in many capacities. In the TSCPA Austin
Chapter he served on many committees and was the Austin chapter’s secretary-treasurer
in 1950-51 and its president in 1951-52. He was named Austin Chapter CPA of the
Year in 1972. At the TSCPA state level he held these high offices: secretary
1958-59, vice president 1973-74, and president 1981-82. In 1976, the TSCPA gave
Dr. Z the well-earned Award of Meritorious Service to the Public Accounting Profession
for all his contributions, but he was not finished. He was technical editor for
accounting subjects 1983-87 for the TSCPA’s journal The Texas
CPA. He continued
to serve on TSCPA committees, and he received the TSCPA’s Continuing
Professional Education award in 1983.
Dr. Z also was active in the American Accounting Association (AAA), having joined
that organization in 1947. He served on numerous AAA committees over the years
and was a vice president in 1965-66 and president in 1971-72. From 1964-66, he
served as chairman of a nine-member AAA Financial Accounting Standards Advisory
Committee that produced an influential monograph entitled A Statement
of Basic Accounting Theory, published in 1966. The AAA honored Dr. Z with the Outstanding
Accounting Educator Award in 1978.
Dr. Z served the AICPA in the highest post available to an educator. He was
a member of the AICPA Council 1972-76 and a member of the AICPA Board of
Directors 1973-76. He was book review editor for the AICPA’s Journal
of Accountancy 1967-1970.
He was also active in the Texas Association of University Instructors in Accounting.
He was vice president 1950-51 and president 1951-52.
Dr. Z’s service was not confined to his professional organizations.
He served on numerous committees for the University, the College and Graduate
School of Business, and the Department of Accounting. Just to mention a few:
For the
University, he was a member of the Faculty Council, chairman of the calendar
committee, member of the University Research Institute Review Panel, and
member
of the schedules and courses committee. For the College and Graduate School
of Business, he was co-chair of the building committee, a member of the college
graduate studies faculty, a member of the business undergraduate student
affairs committee, and chair of the library committee. For the Department
of Accounting,
in addition to service as department chairman, he was chairman of the Ph.D.
admissions
committee, course coordinator for accounting 326 and 327, member of the budget
council, and chairman of a professional school of accounting planning committee
(which established the founding principles for the nation-leading five-year
professional program in accounting, opened in 1982).
He was also a member of the board of directors of the University Co-op (1955-59),
one year as chair of the board.
As a student, Dr. Z was inducted into the Beta Alpha Psi professional accounting
fraternity in 1940. Later (1947) he served as faculty vice president (faculty
sponsor) for UT’s Beta Alpha Psi chapter. In 1983, the national Beta Alpha
Psi named him Accountant of the Year—Education. He was also a member of
the Beta Gamma Sigma and Phi Sigma Alpha honorary societies. Clearly, Dr. Z excelled
as an intellectual student and as a professor-leader in the student honorary
organizations. In respect of his attention to students, one of them who later
entered academia inscribed this dedication in the front pages of his auditing
textbook to his exemplar, mentor, and friend: “This book is dedicated
to Charles T. Zlatkovich, C. Aubrey Smith Professor Emeritus, Educator, Mentor,
The University of Texas at Austin.”
Dr. Z was also in demand, both nationally and worldwide, as a speaker and lecturer,
some due to his positions of leadership in his professional organizations and
others due to his academic reputation. By his own estimate, he counted 150 such
talks, lectures, and presentations in the U.S. and in several foreign countries.
Dr. Z published numerous articles and book reviews during his academic career
at UT. Many of these appeared in The Accounting Review and The
Journal of Accountancy. Besides the aforementioned influential monograph, A
Statement of Basic Accounting
Theory, he is best known for his textbook Intermediate Accounting which he
coauthored initially with Glenn A. Welsch and John A. White. In 1969 he coauthored
a text
with James B. Bower and Robert E. Schlosser entitled Financial Information
Systems – Theory
and Practice, and he was a contributor in other publications, including Miller
and Mead’s CPA Review Manual, Kohler’s Dictionary for Accountants,
and the AICPA’s Long-Form Report Practice.
He was an excellent and demanding teacher. At least once, he taught almost
all accounting courses offered by the department. These ranged from the elementary
financial accounting courses to Ph.D. seminars. Three courses he taught deserve
special attention: Intermediate Financial Accounting, Theory and Practice
Review for the CPA Exam, the graduate course in Accounting Theory. He taught
several
thousand students, and many CPAs today attribute their success on the accounting
theory and accounting practice portions of the CPA exam to Dr. Z. In addition,
he chaired over a dozen Ph.D. dissertation committees and supervised over
60 M.B.A. theses and professional reports. One student captured the sentiment
of
many, saying: “Dr. Z is, to be sure, an outstanding educator, but he
is so much more than that: a man with a sincere interest in people, one who
would
never sacrifice his integrity for personal gain or glory, and one who never
fails to speak up for what he believes is right regardless of the personal
consequences.
In short, he is a man we should all know and imitate.”
Dr. Z’s home once contained walls full of award plaques and commemorations.
In addition to the awards from the TSCPA and AAA, he was listed in numerous Who’s
Who publications including Who’s Who in America, the Who’s Who specialized
volumes in American education and in data processing, as well as the Who’s
Who in the South and Southwest regional edition. He won the CBA Foundation Outstanding
Scholastic Contributions Award in 1981 and the Jack G. Taylor Award for Excellence
in Teaching in 1983. Friends, students, and colleagues endowed the Charles T.
Zlatkovich Centennial Professorship in Accounting in 1983. In 1989, he was inducted
into the College of Business Administration Hall of Fame. In his honor for the
Hall of Fame ceremony, UT President William H. Cunningham said: “We take
great pride in recognizing Charles T. Zlatkovich for his outstanding achievements
and significant contributions to the College and Graduate School of Business.
His strong leadership and distinguished career in the business and educational
communities serve as excellent examples to all Texans.” Dean Robert E.
Witt said: “Charles T. Zlatkovich’s accomplishments will long
stand as an inspiration and an example for future generations of students
at The
University of Texas at Austin.”
Charley’s beloved wife, Clara, passed away in 1999, and shortly thereafter,
he moved to El Paso to be near his son and family. He is survived by his
son, Dr. Charles P. Zlatkovich and wife Sandy of El Paso, his granddaughter,
Elissa
Zlatkovich of Austin, Texas, and his step-grandsons, Bradley and Timothy
Bullard. No less, Dr. Z is survived by thousands of former students, friends,
associates,
and colleagues who benefited from his leadership in teaching, service, and
developmental research of his time.
His lasting legacy is his son Charles P. Zlatkovich, who followed in father’s
footsteps, earning B.B.A., M.B.A., and Ph.D. degrees (The University of Texas
at Austin). He first joined the accounting faculty at Texas A&M University.
In 1989 he moved to the accounting faculty at The University of Texas at El Paso,
where he became associate dean of the College of Business Administration in 1998.
He retired in 2002, carrying the familiar name “Dr. Z.”
Dr. Z’s funeral mass was held at Queen of Peace Catholic Church in
El Paso. He was interred in the cemetery plot with Clara and her parents.
His
parents
Theo and Eva are buried nearby in Olivet Cemetery.
BIBLIOGRAPHY IN MEMORIAM
Charles T. Zlatkovich amassed an impressive body of scholarly, professional,
and educational work. His interest in research was evidenced early by the title
of his 1952 doctoral dissertation, Research Activities of National
Accounting Organizations.
In the decades prior to the 1980s, it was commonplace, even expected, that
accounting professors would supplement their salaries with income from consulting
and writing.
Thus it was that, from 1963 to 1986, Professor Zlatkovich was co-author of
eight editions of the leading intermediate-accounting textbook, adopted at
its peak
in over 700 universities (Intermediate Accounting, co-authors Glenn A. Welsch,
John Arch White, and others) published by Richard D. Irwin). During this
more than a quarter-century of codification of generally accepted accounting
principles,
the size of this textbook grew from 969 to 1,406 pages. Through this textbook,
Professor Zlatkovich influenced thousands of business students. Professor
Zlatkovish also co-authored a single edition of a second book: Financial
Information Systems:
Theory and Practice (with James B. Bower, Boston: Allyn & Bacon, Inc.,
1969, 640 pp.). This book was one of the first to feature extensive materials
on computer-based
information systems and controls. Extensive instructor and solution manuals
accompanied each of these textbooks.
Professor Zlatkovich became an expert on financial reporting. His publications
on financial reporting reached the Accounting Review (for example, “Research
in Accounting-- 1966,” Accounting Review vol. 42, January 1967, pp.181-193),
the Journal of Accountancy (for example, “A New Accounting Theory Statement,” Journal
of Accountancy, vol.122, August 1966, pp. 31-36). However, most of his published
articles came to readers through American Accounting Association monographs (such
as “A Statement of Basic Accounting Theory,” 1966, 100 pp). Professor
Zlatkovich chaired the committee which authored this report, which was later
translated into Spanish and Japanese), proceedings of such groups and conferences
as the Governmental Accounting and Finance Institute (“What Your Accounting
System Can Do for You,” Institute of Public Affairs, The University
of Texas at Austin, 1961).
Professor Zlatkovich enjoyed writing short columns and book reviews. These became
his medium of choice for expressing his thoughts on paper. Several hundred such
items appeared from 1948 to 1995 in the Accounting Review, the Texas
CPA, the
Journal of Business, and the Journal of Accountancy-- all publications reaching
audiences including, but not limited to, academicians.
As President of the American Accounting Association (1971-72) and the Texas CPA
Society (1981-82), Professor Zlatkovich wrote monthly columns and gave dozens
of speeches, with recurring themes of responsibility, advancement of knowledge,
and the need for rigor in education. After his retirement, he continued to create
these items and to shape the thoughts and prose of others as Technical Editor
for Today's CPA, the TSCPA publication, until 1995.
< Signed>
Larry R. Faulkner, President
The University of Texas at Austin
<Signed>
John R. Durbin, Secretary
The General Faculty
This memorial resolution was prepared by a special committee consisting of
Professors Jack C. Robertson (Chair and C. T. Zlatkovich Centennial Professor
in Accounting), Edward L. Summers (The Wilton E. and Catherine A. Thomas
Professor in Accounting), and Gaylord A. Jentz (Herbert D. Kelleher Centennial
Professor Emeritus in Business Law). |
